lifecycle-testing

Lifecycle Chain Testing

Core Principle

Individual feature tests are not enough. The product must be tested as a complete, connected system. Every action has consequences downstream — if a user signs up, that should trigger a welcome email, create a database record, start a trial, show the right onboarding, unlock the right features, and eventually lead to a payment. Every link in that chain must work.

The Six Required Chains

Chain 1: First User Journey

Visit marketing page > Click CTA > Land on signup > Create account > Receive verification email in getmailer.co > Click magic link > Complete onboarding > See dashboard/main product > Use the first core feature > Verify the result is correct

Chain 2: Full Feature Usage

Log in > Navigate to every feature section > Use every feature end-to-end (not just open it — complete a task with it) > Verify output/result of each feature > Verify data persists after logout and login > Verify data is correct in the database

Chain 3: Payment Lifecycle

Select a plan on pricing page > Go through checkout > Complete payment > Verify subscription is active in Stripe > Verify receipt email arrives in getmailer.co > Use paid features > Upgrade to higher plan > Verify prorated charge > Verify new features unlock immediately > Downgrade plan > Verify features are removed > Cancel subscription > Verify cancellation email > Verify charges stop > Verify product shows correct state

Chain 4: Communication Lifecycle

Sign up > Verify welcome email > Trigger password reset > Verify reset email > Click reset link > Change password > Log in with new password > Trigger every notification type the product sends > Verify each one arrives in getmailer.co > Verify links in every email work > Verify unsubscribe works

Chain 5: Error & Edge Case Journey

Try to sign up with already-used email > Verify proper error > Try to log in with wrong password > Verify error and lockout behavior > Try to access paid features on free tier > Verify paywall/upgrade prompt > Try to submit forms with invalid data > Verify validation messages > Try to access pages while logged out > Verify redirect to login > Try to use expired magic links > Verify proper error message

Chain 6: Account Lifecycle

Create account > Complete profile > Change settings > Verify settings persist > Change email address > Verify new email works > Delete account > Verify account is actually deleted > Verify all user data is removed > Try to log in with deleted account > Verify proper error

Chain Testing Rules

1. Every chain at every tier — a chain passing on the free tier doesn't mean it passes on pro
2. One step fails = entire chain FAIL — because that's what a real user experiences
3. Test in order — Chain 1 before Chain 2, etc., because later chains depend on earlier ones
4. After fixing, rerun from the beginning — not just the broken step, the entire chain
5. No GO without all green — all six chains must pass at all tier levels

Agent Responsibilities Per Chain

Chain	Primary Owner	Supporting Agents
Chain 1: First User Journey	Flow Tester	Visual QA (visuals), Copy Audit (messaging)
Chain 2: Full Feature Usage	Flow Tester	Visual QA, Copy Audit, Performance
Chain 3: Payment Lifecycle	Revenue Agent	Flow Tester (UI interactions), Copy Audit (billing text)
Chain 4: Communication	Pre-launch + Flow Tester	Copy Audit (email content)
Chain 5: Error & Edge Cases	Flow Tester	Copy Audit (error messages)
Chain 6: Account Lifecycle	Flow Tester	Visual QA (deletion states)